Citizens' Stipend Setting Commission Meeting Summary – May 27, 2026
Citizens' Stipend Setting Commission Meeting Summary – May 27, 2026
The Citizens' Stipend Setting Commission met at the Merced Civic Center to continue reviewing the Mayor and City Council stipend and to finalize a written recommendation to the City Council. The commission approved prior meeting minutes, discussed current and proposed stipend amounts and budget impacts, and adopted Resolution 2026-19 recommending $1,000 per month for council members and $1,250 per month for the Mayor.
Note: The source agenda is dated Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 5:30 PM, while the meeting metadata supplied with this request gives the date as May 27, 2026, at 1:30 PM UTC. This summary uses the supplied date.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the April 16, 2026 Citizens' Stipend Setting Commission minutes unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Kelly, seconded by Commissioner Jenkins.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public speakers during the public comment period.
- No public testimony was offered during the public hearing; it was opened and closed at 5:48 PM.
Discussion Items
- Stipend review and Resolution 2026-19: The commission reviewed current stipends of $500 per month per council member and $600 per month for the Mayor, totaling $36,000 per year for the six council seats and $7,200 per year for the Mayor before employer taxes.
- One commissioner cited the current total as $51,600 and the proposed total as $87,000, a $35,400 increase, and expressed concern about the impact on the city budget, including possible effects on the fire department in 2027. That commissioner said Merced does not have the income of larger cities and suggested revisiting a smaller increase, such as $700 per month or a $100 increase for each member, as more realistic and affordable.
- Another commissioner presented spreadsheet calculations showing current stipends plus Social Security and Medicare employer taxes at $46,505 per year. The proposed $1,000 per month for council members and $1,250 per month for the Mayor would total $87,000 in stipends and $93,656 with employer taxes, an increase of just over $47,000. Because an approved increase would not take effect until January, the partial first-year cost was estimated at $70,080, which is $23,575 above the current budget.
- A commissioner reported reaching out to five council members and not hearing back from two. Based on rough estimates, council members excluding the Mayor averaged about 55 hours per month on council business, while the Mayor reported over 100 hours per month. At current rates, that equates to roughly $9.09 per hour for council members and $6.00 per hour for the Mayor. That commissioner supported $1,000 and $1,250, citing the council's high level of community engagement, frequent attendance at events such as Bob Hart Square, Kitty Land, Red Ribbon Week, and Earth Day, and the fact that council members often do not seek reimbursement for mileage, gas, or event expenses. The commissioner also noted proposed pre-tax hourly equivalents of about $12.50 per hour for the Mayor and $18.00 per hour for council members, and after-tax monthly amounts based on single filing of $999.40 for the Mayor and $872.00 per council member.
- A parliamentary question was raised about whether the commission could vote again on a previously decided item. Staff clarified that the vote was not a reconsideration but a formal written recommendation to the City Council, which is required to finalize Resolution 2026-19.
- Another commissioner agreed with the higher proposed stipend, citing the value of council visibility at community events such as Mercado Nights, but cautioned that attendance should not be counted entirely as work because council members are residents attending as residents. That commissioner nonetheless stated agreement with the previously voted amounts.
Key Outcomes
- The public hearing was opened and closed with no public testimony.
- The commission adopted Resolution 2026-19, recommending a monthly stipend of $1,000 for each City Council member and $1,250 for the Mayor, pursuant to Section 402 of the City of Merced Charter. The motion passed with Commissioner Burnett voting no.
- The resolution's date typo was corrected from April 6 to April 16 before adoption.
- The commission adjourned unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Kelly, seconded by Commissioner Jenkins.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, let's go ahead and get started. Okay, we'll call the meeting to order. Um, we'll do the go ahead and do the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. Jenkins? And Chair Kaikendal. Okay, I would like to remind the audience that if they wish to address the commission, they must submit a green request to speak form located at the podium in the back of the chamber. Citizens can submit public comment to the commission electronically no later than one PM on the day of the meeting. Comments received before the deadline will be sent to the commission and will be part of the record and be mentioned as part of the public comment portion of the agenda.gov and any correspondence received after one PM will be distributed to the commission and retained for the official record. Agenda item D, public comment. And we do have some members that are sitting in the audience. Does anyone want to speak? No, okay. No speakers. Agenda item E, consent. Uh E1, citizen stipend setting commission minutes for April 16th, 2026. Move to approve. Okay, I have a motion by Commissioner Kelly and a second by Commissioner Jenkins. Um commissioners, please cast your votes. Okay, the motion passes unanimously. Okay. Agenda item F, public hearing F1 review and discussion of the current stipend for the mayor and city council members and discussion and recommendations, if any, regarding the appropriate stipend stipend for the mayor and city council members. Yes, I would like to kind of re-look at what we have proposed. I've asked Jennifer to put on a screen because I thought sometimes when we're talking about money, we don't realize how it affects. So you can see that the current is $51,600. But if we raise it, it's $87,000, which is an increase of $35,400. I was just hearing on the radio today what a couple things that were going to be affected. One is the fire department and 2027. And I can't imagine how many other things would be affected by that much of an increase, especially what has to be paid out if we pass this. Um that wasn't part of the budget, and then as they're looking at this budget now, what would have to be eliminated? And you never know how that might affect you. So I would like us to kind of relook at maybe the $700 a month or the $100 increase to each of them, and think that that's more of a realistic thing that we could the city could afford. Because we have to remember that this city is not um like a Fresno or even like a Turlock, we don't have the income coming in. And if we don't have enough money to cover that, um something's gonna lose out for clarification. I believe it's 500 a month. Do they get 500 a month, not 600, right? They do get 500 a month, and the mayor is a good thing. Okay, so then that takes 7200 off of they get 500. So that takes 7200 off that total. Um how much does the mayor get? $600 a month. Time six is $3,600 for the mayor, but the other council members, here's the current, the other council members get $500 a month. So the total council gets $36,000. Yes. Oh, sorry. That includes the mayor, correct? Uh okay. So let me just explain my spreadsheet. I just brought this as kind of my backup information in case you had questions, but um, since Belinda shared her calcs, I'll share mine. So currently the council receives um for six of them, $36,000, and the mayor receives $7200.
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